Rwanda: Israeli medical mission saves 21 children

A team of Israeli doctors has returned from Rwanda after completing a week-long humanitarian medical mission that saved the lives of 21 children suffering from complex heart conditions and marked a milestone for the country's healthcare system.

The mission, led by the Israeli nonprofit Save A Child's Heart (SACH), took place at King Faisal Hospital in Kigali, where specialists performed life-saving cardiac procedures on children with severe congenital heart defects.

Beyond providing urgent medical care, the mission also celebrated the return of Dr. Gerard Misago, who became Rwanda's first pediatric interventional cardiologist after completing three years of specialized training in Israel through SACH's physician training program.

"We're very happy that we managed to treat as many kids as we did this week," said Dr. Sivan Elkarat, a pediatric electrophysiologist with Save A Child's Heart. "It's been a short week, but very long days, and we're very pleased with the outcome."

Since its founding, Save A Child's Heart has trained more than 170 medical professionals from developing countries, with the goal of enabling local doctors to independently perform advanced pediatric cardiac procedures.

"For us, this is the dream coming true," said Dr. Sagi Assa, senior pediatric cardiologist at Save A Child's Heart. "Having Gerard train in Israel, come back to Rwanda as the country's first pediatric interventional cardiologist, and perform procedures independently—that's exactly what we're working toward."

Rwanda faces a severe shortage of pediatric specialists despite having more than five million children. Medical experts estimate that up to 85% of children in low-resource settings who are born with heart defects require some form of surgical or catheter-based intervention before the age of 15, making international partnerships critical to expanding access to care.

The mission also included retired NBA player Harold Keeling, who visited young patients and their families as part of Project Max and the NBA Legends program.

"I'm here today through Project Max and Save a Child's Heart," Keeling said. "We're very excited to be a partner. The whole team has been fantastic, and the doctors are very experienced."

Founded in Israel, Save A Child's Heart provides life-saving cardiac treatment to children from developing countries regardless of nationality, religion or background. According to the organization, roughly half of the children it treats come from neighboring countries and territories, including the West Bank, Gaza, Jordan, Iraq and Morocco.